Trps1 targets Scarb1 to regulate cholesterol acquisition in mouse Leydig cells

Approximately 7 % of men are suffering from infertility, accounting for 40 %-50 % of all cases of all infertility, and low testosterone levels are closely associated with male infertility. Our previous study indicated that transcriptional repressor GATA binding 1 (Trps1) could inhibit testosterone synthesis in Leydig cells. In the present study, to elucidate the molecular mechanism by which Trps1 regulates testosterone synthesis in Leydig cells, differentially expressed genes (DEGs) following Trps1 knockdown was conducted by RNA-sequencing. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis and Genes ontology (GO) analysis were utilized to investigate the pathways associated with Trps1. Gene-silencing technology, Real-Time PCR, and Western blot were performed to validate DEGs. In addition, testosterone and cellular cholesterol content were further observed. We found that GO analysis of DEGs associated with “cholesterol metabolism”. Real-Time PCR and Western blot showed that the expression of steroidogenic factor-1 (Sf-1) and scavenger receptor class B, member 1 (Scarb1) were up-regulated after Trps1 silencing. Knockdown of Sf-1 and Scarb1 could revert the elevated testosterone and cellular cholesterol levels caused by Trps1 deficiency. Moreover, ChIP-seq and CUT&Tag-qPCR demonstrated that the promoter of Scarb1 has a binding site for SF-1. The present study revealed that TRPS1 exerts regulatory control over the expression of Scarb1 by modulating Sf-1 transcriptional activity, thereby enhancing cholesterol level and promoting the synthesis of testosterone in Leydig cells.